Anthony Stolarz is accustomed to playing a secondary role.
Throughout his junior career, he often shared goaltending duties, and for nearly ten years afterward, the large netminder primarily played in the American Hockey League or sat on National Hockey League benches.
Signing with the Maple Leafs as a free agent last summer presented Stolarz with a significant opportunity.
He has fully seized this chance and is now a central figure.
The 31-year-old has been outstanding in the first two games of Toronto`s first-round playoff series against the Ottawa Senators, stopping 57 out of 61 shots in two victories.
He needed to be sharp during the close moments of the 6-2 win in Game 1. In Game 2, after his team lost an early 2-0 lead, he held strong until Toronto won 3-2 in overtime.
“This is what you live for,” the perspiring player from Edison, N.J., commented in the Leafs` locker room Tuesday night. “This is playoff hockey.”
Tristan Blackwood